French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Sunday that France will stop its military deployment in Niger and withdraw its ambassador following the deposition of the country’s democratically elected president in a coup.
The announcement is a severe, if predictable, blow to France’s African policy, following French soldier withdrawals from neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years following coups there.
To combat Islamist groups, France had stationed hundreds of troops in the region at the request of African governments.
Since the July coup, France has kept about 1,500 troops in Niger and has repeatedly defied the new junta’s call for its ambassador to leave, claiming that France did not recognize the coup leaders as legitimate.
Tensions between France and Niger, a former French colony, have risen in recent weeks, with Macron recently claiming that diplomats were surviving on military rations while holed up in the embassy.
In an interview with France-2 television, Macron said that he spoke Sunday to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, and told him that “France has decided to bring back its ambassador, and in the coming hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France.”
He added, “And we will put an end to our military cooperation with the Niger authorities.”
He said the troops would be gradually pulled out, likely by the end of the year.
He noted that France’s military presence in Niger was in response to a request from Niger’s government at the time.
Military cooperation between France and Niger had been suspended since the coup. The junta leaders claimed that Bazoum’s government wasn’t doing enough to protect the country from the insurgency.
The junta in August gave French Ambassador Sylvain Itte 48 hours to leave. After the deadline expired without France recalling him, the coup leaders then revoked his diplomatic immunity.
The junta is now under sanctions by Western and regional African powers.
In New York on Friday, the military government that seized power in Niger accused U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “obstructing” the West African nation’s full participation at the U.N.’s annual meeting of world leaders in order to appease France and its allies.